Rex Salazar
Rex Salazar is a sixteen-year-old, amnesiac EVO with the ability to grow weapons and machines out of his body at will. He was employed as a secret weapon to Providence, a global organization dedicated to protecting the world from rampaging EVOs. After the new changes in Providence, he joined the Providence Defect Group. He later returned to Providence afterWhite Knight became leader of Providence again. Personality Rex is overconfident, impulsive, and rebellious. He is quite headstrong, which according to Van Kleiss, Rex has inherited from his mother, Violeta. He has a quick wit and is constantly making jokes. However, when Rex needs to defend himself, he does not hold back. Aggressive and reckless, Rex prefers to smash anything that gets in his way, much to Providence's annoyance. However, he eventually begins to show more discretion and planning. Rex has also shown a selfless side to his personality, as he has cured many EVOs at his own risk. He has also shown an empathetic side to his personality. For example, he understands that many of the EVOs he fights have loved ones concerned about them, and he tries to cure them whenever he can. Another example would be when Rex was the only one to see things from both Agent Six's and Serge's point of views. He also has conflicting feelings about his position in Providence. While he is loyal to the organization, sometimes the pressure of being the only person that can cure EVOs is too much for him to handle. Consequently, he sometimes breaks out of the base to go on "road trips", as he calls them, to blow off steam. However, he always returns, perhaps out of a sense of duty, purpose, and caring for his team. Rex has also been shown to be clever. For example, Tuck stated that Rex created the voice activated nano-ink tattoos that Rex, Tuck, Skwydd, and Crickethave, after a problem they had with a shape-shifter EVO. Coming from a family of scientists, Rex is quite intelligent, as shown when he was able to take high school courses with ease. After taking a trigonometry pop quiz, Rex casually told Noah that it was "just trig" and explained that it was like aiming his cannon. Rex sometimes uses his sarcastic wit to manipulate his enemies. Rex tricked Van Kleiss and NoFace into fighting each other, since Van Kleiss needed him alive, while NoFace wanted to kill him. He also used Biowulf's fear of being replaced with NoFace to persuade Biowulf to help. Powers and Abilities Like all living beings on Earth, Rex has nanites bonded to him on a molecular level. Having activated nanites makes him an EVO; however, unlike most EVOs, Rex has the ability to control his nanites at will, allowing him to generate various machinery from his body. He can also use his nanites to communicate with a variety of machines, as well as cure some EVOs of their mutations. EVO Powers Edit * Technopathy: Rex is capable of using his nanites to interface with technology, allowing him to communicate with and control it. For example, he first demonstrated this ability to escape the confines of The Keep.18 Said in his own words, he can "hear them". This can also backfire; hearing too many voices at once will overwhelm Rex and eventually cause him to lose consciousness.8 After regaining his powers, his technopathic capabilities grew stronger, as shown when he took control of the entire Providence base to disarm hidden bombs.19 It is shown that Rex's enhanced technopathic capabilities can also allow him to reprogram machines.20 It has also been proven that Rex can understand the features of a machine once communicating with it. In particular, when Rex used his technopathic abilities on Branden Moses's machine that was claimed to cure EVOs, Rex said he got an understanding that the machine "only lights up and goes ping".21 His technopathic abilities also enable him to disable Providence's control collars, however, they explode after the process.22 * EVO curing: Perhaps Rex's most important ability, Rex can extract the active nanites of other EVOs to cure them. Initially, Rex could not cure EVOs unless they willingly allowed him to extract their nanites.10 Later, his curing ability seemed to have improved somewhat, as he was able to cure some of Quarry's EVO henchmen against their will.5 However, it is possible they were simply caught off guard, as the first did not know he was capable of curing EVOs, and the second was unconscious. By his own admission, Rex also had trouble curing non-human EVOs as quickly as human EVOs.23 However, his skills gradually developed over time, as demonstrated when he successfully cured a Cat EVO that was hunting him and his friends.24 Rex eventually began to cure animal EVOs without any hesitation.2521 However, some EVOs, known as incurables, have nanites that are completely resistant to curing. When Rex tried to cure a dying incurable EVO named One, the strain was too much for Rex to handle.9 Other risks are also associated with EVO curing. Rex has a limit to how many nanites from cured EVOs he can carry. If he exceeds this limit, he will begin growing metallic tumorous sacks.8 Also, if he extracts corrupted nanites, such as the highly unstable nanites in Abysus, he runs the risk of destabilizing his own body.26 After the worldwide curing event, Rex's curing abilities have largely become obsolete.27 * Machine manifestation: Rex can shape his nanites into a variety of machinery. He uses these for offense, defense, and transportation. The weapons he forms out of his body can be destroyed, but he usually can reform them quickly afterward. Also, if Rex is exhausted, it takes more focus to maintain his weapons; otherwise they instantly disassemble.28 At one point, Van Kleiss drained away all but one of Rex's nanites, temporarily removing Rex's powers as well. After an MRI, Dr. Holiday discovered theOmega-1 Nanite that Dr. Gabriel Rylander had injected into Rex and identified it as a Control Nanite. Using the supply of inactive nanites he had previously off-loaded in the Purgatory base, Rex was able to reactivate the Control Nanite, regaining his original powers, as well as gaining the blueprints for more powerful machines.19 Previously, Rex lacked the ability to program his body into building more than one machine at a time. As of now, Rex can allow his nanites to build and use two machines simultaneously.29 :: For more information visit the Rex Salazar's machines page * Nanite-enhanced abilities: Rex appears to have strength and endurance that is beyond human. On numerous occasions he has survived situations well beyond the capacity of normal humans, like being thrown through a concrete wall.5 For example, Rex was the only person who could survive using the space elevator. White Knightcommented that the G-forces from the trip would kill a normal person.16 Rex was also smashed through three stone pillars without any serious injury.5 He was also one of the few who could survive the extreme pressure of the deep water trench beneath Aquania.11 He seems to have enhanced strength, but only when using his machines. For example, when Rex attended a Providence Basic Training camp, Rex needed the Smack Hands to do pull-ups and-push ups and struggled to do sit ups without his mechanical powers.14 Furthermore, using just his human strength, Rex was unable to pull Circe to safety when Abysus was destabilizing.26 However, Rex's machines are very heavy, as shown when Rex's Smack Hand caused him to sink in the ocean.30 This implies that it is the internal mechanisms of the machines that allow him to lift them. However, Rex has also shown extreme physical prowess with his Smack Hands and Punk Busters, such as drop kicking a three-headed monster EVO who was much taller and larger than most of the buildings in New York, or lifting a building with his Smack Hands and batting multiple EVOs away with them. * Nanite-enhanced healing: When Rex was mortally wounded in an industrial accident, the nanites he was injected with completely healed him.31 Later, the Omega-1 Nanite he was injected with restarted his heart.32Rex's nanites cured him of poison from a sea urchin.11 Rex also revealed that his nanites can counteract knock-out gas; however, the same gas was used earlier by Dr. Holiday for the nanite-removal treatment, suggesting that the nanites may have some way to distinguish between the use of such gas as a medical anesthetic or as a weapon, and respond properly.8 In extreme situations, the nanites inside his body can take control and act to save Rex's life. When Rex tried to cure Weaver, Rex's nanites took control of his body to make him stop and ordered Agent Six to "take the shot".8 His nanites also subconsciously react to smaller threats. For instance, every time Providence tries to put a tracer on him, his nanites automatically dismantle it.30 * Unlimited nanite creation: The Omega-1 Nanite inside of Rex has a self-replicating program, meaning that Rex can create more and more active nanites if needed.25 This function was seen to be operational when the Molecular Destabilizer was obliterating his active nanites.33 * Godhood (temporarily): When Rex had complete control over all five Meta-Nanites he became the most powerful being in the universe and could do anything he could think of. However, after he used his god-like powers to spread the world-wide cure to all EVOs, he later ordered the Meta-Nanites to deactivate ensuring no one could ever use their power again. AbilitiesEdit * Advanced intellect: Although not often portrayed, Rex is quite intelligent. Rex scored a 98% on what was considered a very difficult trigonometry test, while one student came out saying "my brain hurts". Rex said it was easy, as it was "like aiming his Slam Cannon". When the trigonometry teacher threw out a long string of mathematical trajectories (easily taking ten seconds to say at full speed), Rex worked it out in a few seconds, (shown as a physical diagram in his point of view) and used the trajectory mentioned to send his opponent flying.12 * Acrobat: Rex is shown to be very good at acrobatics. During one of Rex's flashbacks, Rex, Tuck, Skwydd, andCricket are shown doing acrobatics during one of their midnight-rooftop runs.5 Rex also cured an EVO in mid-flip and landed without any problems.25 He was also capable of outrunning and avoiding Providence's "Black Pawns" by using his quicker reflexes and tumbles to evade their quick hits. There have also been several cases where Rex's Omega Nanite increased his reaction time dramatically, such as dodging Hunter Cain's missile while groggy or even dodging Black Knight's Black Pawns' bullets from point blank range. Rex is the second character behind Agent Six to pull this off. 17 * Hand-to-hand combatant: Rex knows basic hand-to-hand combat, most likely from training with Providence for so many years. He took on various Black Pawnswho were highly skilled in combat. He also managed to beat several well-trainedProvidence agents (some of whom were using Providence clubs) without using hismachines and while having his arms restrained. Rex has also been capable of cracking concrete with his normal human strength out of anger. He can synchronize his fighting skills with the use of his machines, making his blows much more effective as shown when he defeated Breach, Biowulf, and Skalamander in rapid succession with ease. * Breach sensing: Rex is able to sense whenever Breach is near, which he describes as a "creeped-out feeling".33It is clear this ability works due to his nanites, as he states that his nanites are "onto the whole 'ripping-the-very-fabric-of-space' thing."33 However, it is unknown whether he gained this ability from being inside Breach's pocket dimension as he is also able to know Breach took Circe there (though he could have just been guessing) or due to the abilities the Omega-1 Nanite grants him. Appearances * Bringing the Team Together (first appearance) Trivia * Rex means "King" in Latin. His last name, Salazar, translated from Old Spanish means "old hall" - from the words "sala" which means "hall" and "zahar" meaning "old". * Rex has at least a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and Chinese. He tends to interlard his speech with Spanish wording. ** According to Caesar, Rex understands Spanish but does not know how to speak the language properly, often humorously mispronouncing words. Dr. Holiday volunteered to help him polish his skills. * Rex has underwear with motorcycle patterns. * Rex seems to sleep in his normal everyday clothing (most likely so that he is always ready for action). * Since Rex does not remember his true birthday, Providence had his "birthday" scheduled on the day he joined Providence. Ironically, Rex was conscripted to Providence on Six's birthday, causing the two to share the same birthday. * Rex has a criminal past, due to working for Quarry and being his top lieutenant. * Rex's machines are powered by gravity and produce selenium as a side-effect. Additionally, Rex naturally gives off small amounts of selenium (Caesar compared this process to be akin to dandruff). * Despite his long track record of defeated EVOs, Rex has had poor fighting skills and has gotten better throughout the series. * Rex enjoys Spanish soap operas. * Rex plays with toys during baths. * Rex is shown to have some artistic skills. * Rex has a scar on the back of his left knee that he got from playing on some lab equipment when he was seven. * Rex wanted to play the accordion when he was little. * At some point Rex wanted to be an undersea explorer. * Rex is good at playing volleyball and ping pong but is a lousy soccer and basketball player. * Noah noted that Rex always starts the offensive with the Smack Hands and that he should "change it up a little". * When he was young, Rex used jokes to cope with difficult situations. * Ben Tennyson stated that Rex's jacket smells like bananas. * Rex sometimes wears Six's suits as formal attire. * As revealed in "Assault on Abysus", when Rex was younger, he drew a picture that resembled his bio-mechanical form. This could allude to Rex's inspiration for his machines. * Rex likes anime. * Rex did not have a teddy bear when he was a kid. * Rex used to share "stomping grounds" with John Scarecrow when he was in Hong Kong. * Rex had a Meta-Nanite inside of him. * According to "Remote Control", Rex can use his nanites to change out of his Amp suit. * Rex likes a rock band called the Trendbenders. * His disguise in "Deadzone" bears a striking resemblance to The Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George.